PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Ava Kinsey, Director of Education at Brooklyn Academy of Music
2:24:04
ยท
3 min
Ava Kinsey, Director of Education at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), testified about BAM's arts administration after-school programs for high school seniors and young adults. She highlighted the success story of Patrice Jackman, who progressed from intern to program coordinator and initiated a new program for alumni.
- BAM offers two arts administration programs: one for high school seniors and another for alumni aged 18-24.
- The Brooklyn Interns for Arts and Culture program provides internships in various BAM departments for high school seniors.
- The Creative Career Collective, a paid program for young artists, was created based on alumni feedback and initiative.
Ava Kinsey
2:24:04
Alright.
2:24:05
Good afternoon.
2:24:06
Thank you so much, chair Rivera and the council, for allowing us to be here today.
2:24:11
Thank you also for your intentionality and the time you've given to each speaker.
2:24:15
Really appreciate just your presence.
2:24:17
I'm Ava Kinsey.
2:24:18
I'm the director of education at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
2:24:22
BAM Education's work happens on our stages, of course, also in our partner schools' classrooms.
2:24:29
And after school on-site at BAM, I'm going to specifically talk about our 2 arts administration after school programs, one for high school seniors, the other for alumni of any of our BAM, education programs who are between the ages of 18 to 24.
2:24:49
Art is the conduit for what is possible, and the community fostered in those places keeps our programs full and engaged.
2:24:56
I am reminded of a stellar young person who matriculated through several facets of BAM Education's, programming.
2:25:03
Her name is Patrice Jackman.
2:25:05
Patrice started as an intern in BAM's Brooklyn Interns for Arts and Culture program as a high school senior.
2:25:13
Back in 2016, the program prepared her for a career in the arts, through administration.
2:25:19
It paired her with a BAM staff member and supported her workforce development, skills through her appointment as an intern in our president's office.
2:25:28
All 12 students in her cohort were play placed in various departments throughout BAM to cultivate their exploration into arts administration careers.
2:25:38
Patrice then graduated from the program and began her tenure as an education alumni intern.
2:25:45
After her internship contract ended, she was then hired as the coordinator for the program, the very program that piqued her interest in arts based careers.
2:25:55
During her time in the program, she of course made art, maintain tasks and responsibilities in her departments that she was assigned, but it also led to her improving and extending the reach of our programs.
2:26:10
After hearing feedback from participants who had graduated from the program, Patrice heard that students wanted more.
2:26:16
They wanted to be able to build their portfolios and really deepen themselves as artists at BAM.
2:26:22
So in 2021, she pitched our Creative Career Collective program for alumni of our programs.
2:26:29
It was approved, and since 2022, we have matriculated 5 cohorts through that program.
2:26:36
It is a paid program for young artists.
2:26:39
So this is an example of how one young person in our arts programming changed the landscape of arts administration, access for her peers, for people to come after her, and this proves that the arts is a place where brilliance, learning, education, and also implementation can happen for young people and those to come after.
2:27:03
So we hope that you will continue to fund programs like this to several of our our peer organizations.
2:27:09
Thank you so much.